Archive for April, 2016

When the average TV viewer, radio listener or social media user hears that a celebrity uses a product, most have no idea that the celeb is a paid spokesperson (even though FCC and FTC laws dictate that they acknowledge it).

Companies regularly hire celebrities to plug their product and are often at the mercy of agents to determine the spokesperson fees and have not really had a way to determine the “fair market value” to pay for services. Well, now you can turn to to Thuzio, a company that uses a sophisticated algorithm which has reverse-engineered 10,000 real-life transactions to calculate the price of a celebrity appearance, tweet or Facebook post from every VIP on planet Earth to determine a price tag for what society values.

In the brave new world of social media endorsements, celebrity tweets can cost advertisers millions depending on many factors: the type of celebrity, their cross platform following, and engagement with followers. A ginormous Facebook and Twitter following is certainly a big factor, of course, and musicians are worth more than athletes when it comes to appearance fees.

Thuzio 360’s talent database is available by subscription and is primarily used by marketers looking for that perfect superstar spokesperson or mini-celebrity to promote their brand on social media. So who are New York’s most valuable celebrities? Taylor Swift tops the list and theoretically commands $2.5 million for a single appearance and Rihanna is second on the list at $1.5 million.

You may not have heard about digital media tours, or DMTs, but they are the latest broadcast public relations tool we’ve designed at CMP Media Cafe to help you get substantial media exposure in television, radio and digital online programs. Nothing tells your story like television since it ultimately delivers your video message across multiple digital and social media platforms. Online links to interviews are easy to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instragram shout outs, plus they are often the subject of blog posts and other digital media generating massive exposure and awareness of your message.

DMTs take the satellite media tour, or SMT, generic presentation concept and digitally deliver a pre-recorded two-minute TV segment featuring your book, product, or service directly to meaningful TV markets and radio stations to reach a broadcast audience of over 10 million consumers.

How it Works. The DMT package includes complete production and digital distribution of a two-minute TV segment and :60 second audio news release plus a spokesperson interview on a nationally syndicated radio program. The TV segment airs on two national TV programs, Coffee with America and NewsWatch, and five or more local TV lifestyle programs that are strategic for your target markets. The audio news release, ANR, is digitally distributed to local radio stations across the country and we book the spokesperson on Ron Seggi Today, a national radio program syndicated on CRN, USA Radio, and the Armed Forces Network. The audience reach results total over ten million consumer impressions for your DMT package.

Determine if a DMT is a Good Fit. First, we’ll ask you questions about your product and campaign objectives to determine if a DMT is a good fit for your media outreach.

Decide on Local Target Market List. We’ll review TV target markets available that compliment your national or regional product distribution and/or availability and also work with you to identify targeted radio outreach options so that your ANR reaches your ideal audience.

Develop a Story Angle. After we establish that a DMT is the best option, we work with you to develop a balanced story angle that organically positions your product or service as a solution to a problem (or other newsworthy hook).

Write the TV Segment Script. Our Executive Producer, a former network producer who has scripted hundreds of segments for television and radio, will craft and write a two-minute script that seamlessly hits the high notes of your priority message while providing a structure that organically weaves your product into the story angle.

Draft an ANR Script. Based on the TV script, we’ll draft a :60 second audio news release that pulls the most important messaging from your story to deliver to radio listeners across the country.

Identify a Spokesperson. Your DMT spokesperson can be a media savvy lifestyle personality, authority on the topic of your story angle, expert in your industry, or a person who has had a personal experience with the product. If you don’t have a spokesperson, we can provide one of our lifestyle experts if they are a good fit for your message.

Range of Fees. The fees for Digital Media Tours vary based on the type of production and distribution package that works best for your project and whether or not you provide a spokesperson. With our lifestyle expert as your talent, DMTs typically start at $13,500 with a guaranteed audience reach of 10 million impressions and include an Audio News Release (that alone will cost $6,500) and TV production, National TV distribution is included. DMTs are an exceptionally good value when you compare them to other broadcast public relation tools:

Budget Options: If radio is not a priority for your campaign, then we can exclude the radio outreach option from your DMT to trim your budget (keeping in mind that it will also trim your audience reach dramatically).

The media landscape has evolved dramatically in the last few years and digital media tours are a perfect option for products or services that may not be candidates for SMTs or Co-Op SMTs due to regional availability or a more limited budget.

Feel free to contact us for a free consultation to determine if a digital media tour is right for your broadcast media outreach and also ask about our Premium Targeted Top-Tier Market DMTs. Contact us at 213-986-8070 for more information.

One of the most important rules of PR is to “know” the show or publication you are pitching otherwise you are just wasting your time and the time of producers or reporters with your inappropriate pitch.

When I was a producer for “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee” we would get pitches that were clearly geared for “Jerry Springer” (or equally inappropriate) and yet the publicists were clueless to their professional faux pas and after I would politely field their pitch, they would respond with, “Well, I don’t have time watch your show because I work during the day.”

Well, even back then, publicists could tape the show and get a feel for the format. Now, with so many online and digital media assets, there is no excuse for sloppy and untargeted pitching in my humble (and professional) opinion.

I saw this “Open Letter to the PR Industry” on LinkedIn from Jane Wells at CNBC and she’s lays it on the line so I thought I’d share it.

Reprinted from LinkedIn:

“I receive so many random and useless pitches that I am now emailing back this generic response:

“Hey there,

“I get several pitches a day which have almost nothing to do with CNBC or my areas of coverage. I’m starting to send out this email to let you know when to pitch me a story, and when not to.

“At CNBC I cover defense, aerospace, agriculture, legal marijuana, Las Vegas, and the California economy. I do not cover real estate. I do not cover media. I do not cover technology.

For CNBC.com, I also do a franchise called Strange Success, which focuses on weird companies where the path to success has also been weird, and annual revenues have grown to at least $1 million. And by weird, I don’t mean a pizza business. I mean a business focusing on curing hangovers, life size sex dolls, getting rid of bathroom odor, where the creator of the business has had an odd path to success.

“I do not interview experts or authors. I interview CEOs, and for on-air, the CEO usually has to run a publicly traded company with annual revenues in excess of $500 million. I do not interview moms who are disrupting the playdate business, or 10-year-old whiz kids who’ve created a crazy new app.

“Please keep this in mind, so that we both save ourselves time and energy.

“Thank you.”

Jane Wells
CNBC

So the next time you think that your pitch may be “the exception,” watch the show, listen to the broadcast, read the publication, or take a look at the blog. Build relationships. Target pitches. Stop wasting time. Yours and theirs. Capisce?

My friend just posted this on her Facebook page and I thought this was one of the most inventive customer service ideas and also an effective public relations strategy. It’s not always about the well placed earned print, broadcast or digital media, but more about what the customer experience is through all aspects of the process that can generate free press and organic social media outreach.

Caldwell’s Pet Supply in Portland, Maine, just hit a home run on making the customer experience just that, “an experience.” Here’s what my friend posted in social media.:

My dad has a new dog that he is house training, and I sent some “potty bells” that hang from the doorknob so that Hobie can let Dad know he needs to go out. I got this as a customer service follow-up … someone has missed their calling.

“Your Potty Bells have been gently taken from our Caldwell’s Pet Supply shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a doggy pillow. A team of 50 employees inspected your Potty Bells and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing. Our world-renowned packing specialist lit a local artisan candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your Potty Bells into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy. We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland, Maine waved ‘Bon Voyage!’ to your package, on its way to you, in our private Caldwell’s Pet Supply jet on this day.

“We hope you have a wonderful shopping experience with us. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as ‘Customer of the Year.’ We’re all exhausted but can’t wait for you to come back!!”

Think of all the goodwill and free social media this company is getting from one very impressed and satisfied customer. The company is also dedicated to the environment, to improve the lives of dogs, and offer products that will make the life of dog lovers easier than ever.